POPE FRANCIS

LGBT+ activists in Democratic Republic of Congo are celebrating the arrival of Pope Francis, whose recent push for the decriminalisation of same-sex relations has given them hope of greater acceptance of their community across Africa.

Just one week after the funeral of Benedict XVI, his closest aide released a much-trailed memoir Thursday, revealing details of tensions between the late pope emeritus and his more liberal successor Pope Francis.

Pope Francis marked the Roman Catholic Church's traditional World Day of Peace on Sunday but the start of the new year at the Vatican was overshadowed by the death of his predecessor, Benedict.

The pope has called for peace in Ukraine ever since Russia invaded its neighbour in February, condemning the war but seeking to maintain a delicate dialogue with Moscow.

Pope Francis on Wednesday called on people to spend less on Christmas presents and celebrations, and donate the money saved to those in war-ravaged Ukraine.

Pope Francis, who has often said he may step down in the future if bad health impedes him from leading the Catholic Church, on Sunday praised the humility of one of the few popes in history to resign willingly instead of ruling for life.

Pope Francis asks North Korea to invite him to visit

Pope Francis on Wednesday called for "concrete steps" to end the war in Ukraine and avert the risk of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia power plant.

Pope Francis has quashed rumours that he plans to resign anytime soon but his planned visit next weekend to the Italian city of L'Aquila will underscore the Catholic Church's need to regulate the status of pontiffs who step down instead of ruling for life.

Pope Francis will install the first cardinal of Brazil's Amazon region this month in a sign of his concern for the rainforest and its indigenous inhabitants, the man whom he picked for the role said.

Pope Francis met Bishop Antonij on Friday ahead of an expected summit next month with its Patriarch Kirill.

The leader of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics arrived the previous day in Edmonton for a six-day visit.

Pope to visit Canada on 'penitential pilgrimage'

When Pope Francis travels to Canada, indigenous leaders and residential school survivors say, they are hoping for more than an apology: They want action.

The Vatican, in an apparent attempt to boost the confidence of the faithful in how their charitable contributions to the pope are used, on Thursday issued the first detailed disclosure of his main fund.

Pope Francis has taken a new series of swipes at Russia for its actions in Ukraine, saying its troops were brutal, cruel and ferocious and that the invasion violated a country's right to self-determination.

A note sent to papal ambassadors late last week by the Secretariat of State -- hammered home that there had been no change in Church doctrine.

The virus has killed more than 37,000 people in Italy, but thousands have also turned out in recent days to protest curbs on social activities.

The Pope's favourable stance on civil unions marks a step away from a 2003 document prepared by the Vatican's dogma office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Most of the world's 1.3 billion Catholics were in forced confinement as the Pope spoke.

The epidemic has wreaked havoc on international business, tourism, sports events, and schools, with almost 300 mn students sent home worldwide.